Site Server was Microsoft's first venture into the e-commerce platform arena, but it had significant limitations when it came to handling both B2C and B2B transactions. These shortcomings provided plenty of potential ideas for creating the next generation of e-commerce applications, and Commerce Server 2000 is the result.

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Microsoft has made significant strides in the development of its sell-side
strategies, starting first with Site Server and progressing to Commerce Server
2001. Of these, the latter shows that Microsoft is learning what it takes to
deliver a solid application for the sell-side.

First, the Pipeline

The biggest change between Site Server 3.0 and Commerce Server 2000 is the
development of a process pipeline versus the Order Process Pipeline. With the
process pipeline, tasks can be completed simultaneously, which makes it possible
for Commerce Server to map more accurately to several types of transactions
within a company. In Site Server implementations, typically only a single type
of transaction would be implemented per Order Process Pipeline.

The Pipeline improvements are also driving greater potential for Commerce
Server to be used in multichannel environments. Cleary Commerce Server will
encounter competitors as Microsoft moves toward a multichannel commerce and
order management strategy. These competitors include Comergent, Click Commerce,
BroadVision, and others. The revamping of the process pipeline was much needed
when Commerce Server was introduced.